Man who killed jailers gets death penalties

Man who killed jailers gets death penalties

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A man convicted of killing two jailers in an unsuccessful attempt to break a friend out of jail was given two death sentences on Friday.

Michael Tisius, 20, of Moberly, was convicted in August of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jason Acton, 36, and Leon Egley, 33.

The Randolph County jailers were shot to death on June 22, 2000, in a failed effort to free inmate Roy Vance, 28, of Macon, from the jail.

Defense attorneys had said Tisius intended only to order the jailers into a holding cell and free Vance and other inmates.

Holden sets election date for Senate seat

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden has set a special election to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Sen. John Scott of St. Louis.

Scott's resignation became effective Monday, and Holden quickly set a Dec. 11 special election for the 3rd District seat. The election will allow a new senator to be sworn in by the time the Legislature reconvenes in January.

Legislative district committees from each party must select candidates and have them filed with the Missouri Secretary of State's office by Nov. 6.

Scott announced his resignation last week.

Man sentenced to life in slaying over $1 bus fare

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A Columbia man was sentenced Friday to life without parole for shooting a teen-ager in a reported dispute over $1 for bus fare.

Leonard Dewayne Holmes, 27, was sentenced in Boone County Court to another five years in prison for armed criminal action.

Holmes was convicted of shooting D'Tarius Williams, 19, three times last November after intervening in a dispute between the victim and a Holmes relative over $1 needed for bus fare.

Holmes' attorneys argued their client was not the gunman.

Southern Missouri Gas customers get rate cut

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Customers of Southern Missouri Gas Co. are receiving a decrease in their natural gas bills, the state Public Service Commission said.

Under a cut effective Monday, residential rates are to drop from 89.89 cents per 100 cubic feet of gas to 71.6 cents, a decrease of 18.3 cents, the PSC said.

For a typical residential customer, the decrease should amount to 2 percent of the total bill, the PSC said.

Southern Missouri Gas serves about 6,100 customers in Douglas, Howell, Texas, Webster and Wright counties.

-- From wire reports